Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Fiji conservation project commended

Mr. David Sheppard, Director General of SPREP and Ms Salanieta Vunimoli of Live and Learn Environmental Education.

By Wati Talebula, journalism student
from FNU

4 December 2013, Suva Fiji - A forest conservation project in
Drawa, Vanua Levu in Fiji was given a public commendation for its success in
preventing loggers from cutting down forests, during an award ceremony for
Pacific environmentalists this week.

Live and Learn Environmental
Education received a commendation for Excellence in Ecosystem Management for
its work in the communities in Bua Province.

After Live and Learn's awareness
projects, a logging concession to a major Fijian company was cancelled.

From an
initial focus on sustainable logging, there has been a more recent shift in
emphasis to forest conservation and management in the Drawa block. The project
promotes sustainable, adaptive forest management.

Ms
Salanieta Vunimoli, receiving the award on behalf of the organisation, said she
was happy to get the because the environment provided hope for the younger
generation.

“Let us
ensure that our fruitful land and bountiful seas be our beacon of hope to our
young people.”

They were recognised for the REDD+
Forest Conservation Project at Drawa, Bua in Vanua Levu as the Best Practise
Case study in Pacific Sustainable Management.

The Live and Learn project came out
on top of 14 other entries from around the Pacific.

Mr. Jerker Tamalander, UNEP Pacific
Islands Ecosystem Management Case Studies project coordinator said there
were more entries then he expected for the award.

“There were 15 participants and I
wasn’t expecting that much but it was interesting to know that some people
still care about our ecosystem,” he said.

The award was presented by Mr. David
Sheppard, the Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional
Environment Programme (SPREP) during the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on
Nature Conservation in Suva.

"Community ownership is one of
the keys to successful ecosystem management," said Mr. Sheppard.

"While we have one award to
present, there are conservation efforts from many that can be celebrated.These are captured in the report - Pacific
Island Ecosystem Management Principles, case studies and lessons learned that
we have launched here today."

Wati Talebulais a member of the Media Team
providing coverage of the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation
and Protected Areas from 2 to 6 December in Suva, Fiji. This is a
partnership between the Fiji National University (FNU), University of the South
Pacific (USP), SPREP and Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) whereby a team
of 10 journalism students are mentored by senior reporters as they cover the
conference. This activity is funded by the Pacific Assistance Media
Scheme (PACMAS).